A Flame Rekindled
by Im a Doctor Not a Writer
Summary: The final installment of the 'Crossing Swords' series. Castle and Beckett head to Philadelphia to FINALLY solve their John T. Doe case...maybe.
1. A Sudden Meeting

**So here it is ladies and gentlemen: the final installment of the 'Crossing Swords'…um…trilogy? This will be at least 3 or 4 chapters in length, so don't go anywhere and hold on to your britches, because there will be plenty more to come. ;]**

**Disclaimer: As it has been said a million times…I DON'T OWN THISSS! (Nor will I make a profit from it either.)**

Beckett and Castle walked into the building both of them remaining completely silent for the moment. It wasn't as if the ride over had been awkward or anything, but Castle knew Beckett might be having a hard time sticking to the case if she was with as Lanie put it, "her girlfriend" the whole time.

When they arrived to the proper floor, Castle and Beckett stepped off the elevator simultaneously, each looking in opposite directions before looking back at each other with eyes filled with amazement. Castle was the first to smile, and Beckett nodded, looking for the proper person to speak to.

Beckett walked up to the reception desk and showed the woman her badge. "Hi, I'm detective Kate Beckett from the NYPD, and this is my partner, Richard Castle. We are here on a murder investigation and we need to speak with either Dr. Murphy, or Dr. Hunt." The young woman looked from Castle to Beckett, and stood immediately. "Dr. Hunt stepped out for a minute, but Dr. Murphy is in her office. I'll escort you two to where it is."

Beckett nodded in thanks, and followed the shorter woman to Dr. Kate Murphy's office. The receptionist rapped on the door before entering the office, and introduced the two visitors to the woman standing behind her desk. "Detective Beckett is from the NYPD, and her partner Richard Castle is…" she didn't quite know that answer, so she let Castle fill in the blanks. "I'm assisting Detective Beckett with the case. I'm a writer by trade."

"Yes, Mr. Castle. I have read some of your works before." She shook Castle's hand. "You do need to freshen up on your medical history though, I thought the last few Derrick Storms could have had some better descriptions of the victims…especially when you killed off Storm. I really wish you would have just crippled him, but then you two wouldn't be here…" She then shook Beckett's hand and cocked an eyebrow. "Megan has told my quite a good bit about you Detective, and I must say, you are more beautiful in person. I admire your name as well. Is it Katherine, or just Kate?" Beckett smiled and replied, "Katherine's the full name, but I prefer Kate. Is that your first name as well?" Dr. Murphy nodded, and then they began conversation about the case.

Approximately an hour later, Dr. Murphy introduced Beckett and Castle to Peter Dunlop, the investigator on the case. He showed them around, and then took them to the police precinct, where they were able to collect more information from Bud and Sam. When they spared a moment from talking to the other detectives and finishing each other's sentences, Castle said to Beckett, "It's Ryan and Espo: the Philly version!" Just before leaving the precinct, Beckett called Ryan at the precinct and gave him the new leads they were given. "Oh, ol' Rusty Gates will be happy to hear that!" Ryan said, just before handing the phone to Esposito. Not 20 seconds later, Dr. Megan Hunt was walking into the precinct, and Castle just happened to notice before Hunt or Beckett saw each other.

Castle suddenly began tugging on Beckett's jacket like a five-year old, and when she finally became annoyed enough, Beckett turned around and said, "What Castle?" As soon as the word came out of her mouth, Beckett saw Dr. Megan Hunt standing in front of her. "Esposito I'll have to call you back." Beckett said, hanging up the phone before letting Esposito say good-bye. "Dr. Hunt, it's nice to see you again." Beckett said smiling; trying to fight the urge to grab this woman and kiss her until her lips fell off.

"I um, uh…I think I'll go step into the boys room for a minute" Castle said to the two women who had their eyes practically glued to the others. He stepped back into the precinct for a minute, thinking the whole time_, 'I'll be in my bunk…'_

**If you didn't get the last line or the name of the chapter, it's a **_**Firefly**_** reference. Hope you enjoyed this. There is more to come of course! **

**A/N: Rating shall be changed later for…awesomeness.**


	2. Useless Words

**Really Really Really Really Short. This is meant to be funny.**

"Dr. Hunt." Beckett started, moving toward Megan slowly. "Detective Beckett" Megan moved closer to Beckett. There was a slight pause, and then suddenly the tension broke and the women crashed their lips together in a frenzied kiss, fulfilling a passion as old lovers reuniting.

They had been kissing for a good 30 seconds or so, when they realized they needed air. They parted momentarily, and realized they were holding each other. They awkwardly stepped back, and then shook hands. In mid-shake, Castle walked back outside, and noticed something was up. He looked at Beckett, and then and Megan. Then back at Beckett, and back at Megan. "I…I" he stuttered out…Megan's lipstick was smeared over her face and Beckett's, and it was then Castle realized…

"I just came back here to ask Beckett a question…" He started, and then silently walked back in. "I'll be inside if you need me…"

The two women looked at each other, looked at Castle, who was now almost inside, and then looked back at each other. They shook hands, and hugged, Megan whispering into Beckett's ear: "My place. 8 o'clock. I'll text you the address". Beckett nodded and the two women parted. Megan stayed outside for a moment to check her lipstick. She looked into her small compact mirror, before blushing. Beckett was almost up the stairs, before she asked, "So I guess words were useless, huh?"

**You shall have more to come. :]]] I'm not that evil.**


	3. Sushi, Salmon, and Stir fry

**Don't hate me too much for taking so long. I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get school stuff finished before thanksgiving. Since this last episode was so amazing, I thought you guys would deserve a good chapter. Watch out though, if it hadn't been for this last episode though, I would have killed off somebody. (Seriously…I almost did.)**

**Disclaimer: Once again…I don't own or care to own…(well that last part was a lie.)**

"Kate I…" Megan to say before saying good-bye to Beckett; "I'll see you tonight Dr. Hunt." Beckett smiled at the doctor and walked out the building, Castle already down the steps waiting for her. Dr. Hunt smiled and headed into the precinct to speak to Bud and Sam. "So where does one find lethal amounts of cyanide to ingest here in Philly detectives?" Megan asked, stepping up to Bud and Sam.

"Riddle me this" Bud began, wanting to ask Megan about 'Detective Beckett'. "Where does one find a detective as hot as that Beckett, that's single?" Megan only smiled a sly crooked smile, and winked at Sam, who laughed a subtle, quiet laugh. Bud obviously didn't get the hint, so he looked at the two women with a confused look, and said, "What? Did I miss something that just went down now?" Megan loved joking around with these two, so she let him have it. "Oh something went down alright Bud, just not now…" by this time, both Megan and Sam were leaning on each other to keep from falling over from laughing so hard, and Bud was still completely clueless.

Bud looked at the file he held in his hand, and handed a mug shot to Megan. "Ever deal with this man in your neurology practice, doctor?" Megan wiped her eyes for a brief moment and took the picture. When she saw the man in the photo, her jaw unhinged. "A-duh-buh-uh…" she paused for a moment. "This-this man…" Megan looked at Bud, and then at Sam. "This man was my patient! How did you know Bud?" Bud smiled, because he knew now HE had the upper hand. "We looked up his record. Turns out not long after you operated, he broke into one of your partner's practice, and stole several thousand dollars-worth of medicine. One of which, was arsenic." Megan screwed her jaw back in place, and then handed the mug-shot back to Bud. "Well that explains the arsenic; I don't even care about the mercury, but what about-" Megan was quickly interrupted by Sam. "Wait, you found mercury in his system too?" Megan stopped her thought and looked at the other woman. "Yeah…not quite enough to be lethal though…Why?" Sam looked at Megan and then looked at Bud. "Did he like to eat fish?" Sam asked before heading over to her computer.

Megan stood there and thought for a moment… "If I'm not mistaken, his stomach contents did contain some sort of a fishy smell…I won't know the results until I get his tox back. But…that's an awful lot of sushi." Megan moved over to where Sam was standing, and looked at the computer screen. "It wasn't sushi at all." Sam looked at Megan. "Try salmon. A fillet of salmon to be exact; some fishermen would inject the fish with mercury right underneath the scales to make them weigh more. That practice has been outlawed for some time now, because of the damages the mercury can cause…Looks to me like your vic had some bad fish." Sam looked at Bud, who then looked at Megan. "Might be time to call your detective friend, Dr. Hunt" Bud smiled at himself, but Megan had begun to walk off and smiled that sly smile once again. "You don't know how right you are Bud."

Back at the hotel room…

"That was Dr. Murphy. It looks like our guy had some bad salmon the night he died. Apparently that's where the mercury came from, and they found a guy who was a patient of your friend Dr. Hunt, and he stole some arsenic." Castle said as he hung up the phone.

"Why would she call you and not me?" Beckett asked, thinking about the new information Castle had just given her. "Maybe she likes me? You, know with a name like Kate and a rack like tha…" "Shut up Castle" Beckett interrupted. "I'll get Bud to send Ryan and Espo a copy of that mug shot. You and I need to find out where Mr. Doe ate last night." Beckett then placed a call of her own. "Yes, Dr. Brumfeld, please" she spoke into the phone and then looked at Castle, who cocked an eyebrow at her request to the person on the other line. "From what Megan's told me, he's good with the food around here." Kate whispered to Castle_. Maybe he can find you two a good place to eat tonight…and maybe a good pizza place for me to order_ Castle thought to himself.

The Apartment of Megan Hunt…

"Mom! You haven't gone on a date since that FBI guy, so why won't you tell me who it is? It's that writer dude, isn't it? That…what's his name…Mr. Castle? Isn't he working on the case with you?" Lacey asked, prying into her mother's love life as she dressed for the evening. Megan had been so excited about her date with Kate, and forgotten that Lacey would be staying with her that night. "Lacey…" Megan began, hoping to bribe her daughter into staying at a friend's house tonight. "If I tell you who it is, will you call Grandma and ask her to come get you so you can stay with her tonight?" Lacey rolled her eyes, but then became intrigued. _A night with Grandma wouldn't be too bad… _Lacey thought to herself. "Ok fine", Lacey began, "but I want every detail!"

Megan cringed at the thought.

An hour later, Lacey had gone out with her grandma for the evening, leaving Megan home alone to finish getting ready in peace for her date with the incredible Detective Kate Beckett. When the doorbell rang, Megan jumped, and nearly spilled the wine she was pouring into her glass. _Don't want that to happen again_ she thought to herself.

Megan opened the door to find her beloved dressed in a one-shoulder red dress that wasn't fitting, but looked amazing nonetheless. Megan looked Beckett up and down for a moment before finally letting the other woman into her humble home. "Wow, your place is gorgeous!" Beckett said, looking around the living room. "What's that amazing smell? Is that…stir fry?" She asked, letting her nose lead her closer to the smell. Megan smiled, and stepped into the kitchen for a brief moment, going back to her cooking. "Yes it is actually. It's really just some teriyaki chicken and veggies. I cooked some lo mein noodles too if you like those." Beckett smiled graciously, and said, "Oh yes, that's my favorite. I just wish I had known we'd be eating in, or I wouldn't have dressed so formal." She smiled and watched Megan stir the wok with everything in it.

"Well considering what happened on our last date, I decided it would be safer if we stayed in, and this time we actually get to eat." Megan looked up at Beckett, who was taking her hair down. When she did, Megan's heart nearly melted, and she just wanted to grab Beckett and…stir! Megan had almost forgotten her food mixture was almost done, and quickly turned off the burner before she singed the bottom of her dress shirt. She distributed the food amongst two plates, and handed one to Beckett. "Would you care for chopsticks?" Beckett smiled and accepted the chopsticks Megan handed her. After tasting the food, Beckett was quick to say, "This is really good Megan. I should have you over at my place more often." She had only meant it to be slightly sexual, but Megan took it to mean a whole different meaning.

"That can be arranged" Megan added with a wink, taking a bite of bell pepper from between her chopsticks. The two women ate together for a while longer, and talked about different things, the case, Castle, their bosses, Curtis, Ryan and Esposito, Lanie, and even Ethan.

"Oh my goodness he has the biggest crush on our new driver Danny!" Megan added, pouring Beckett and herself another glass of wine before going to sit down on the loveseat in living room. "Are you talking about the one with the biker boots, jet black hair, and great smile? He wouldn't have a chance with her!" Beckett laughed lightly, and Megan responded, "Ah, yes well…the word on the street is she has her eye on my investigator!" Beckett smiled at this, because she knew Megan also had the hots for Peter too. "Well you better jump on that ship before she does, Dr. Hunt." Beckett took a sip of her wine, smiling into her glass. "Well, I can't just yet…" Megan began. Beckett looked up at her, cocking an eyebrow. "I'd have to get rid of you first" Megan said, finishing her statement, and the last of her wine. She moved closer to Beckett, who was now taking the last sip of her own wine and setting the glass onto the coffee table nearby. Before she had time to react, Megan was on top of Kate, tangling her fingers into her gorgeous brown locks, and kissing her with the same passion she had the night they first made love in Beckett's apartment.

Within minutes, the two were reminded of what they had, and the flame between them was instantly rekindled.

**Attempting to keep this one T rated, but if you dare ask for more, I can provide it. Please review and I shall bringst more for thee. Should I pop in a Jordan Shaw reference? I'm thinking for the next chapter maybe…**


	4. Too Much Fun

**This is the last chapterrr! I hope everyone enjoyed this story, and I apologize a million times over for not updating this sooner. I was going to have a 7 of 9 and Jordan Shaw reference in there, but it seems to do well without either…enjoy!**

Beckett awoke slowly to the sun peaking in to her side of the bed. She rubbed her eyes with the one arm she had available, and looked over to see who or what had trapped her right arm. At first, all she saw was a mass of red hair, and smiled when she knew who the redhead was and WHAT they had done the night before. Beckett wanted to lie there forever and watch Megan sleep, but her need to pee cut that short very quickly.

Kate slowly pulled her right arm out from under Megan, and moved her fingers in a closing-fist motion to get the feeling back in her hand. Kate moved slowly getting off the bed so as not to wake Megan, and crept even slower to the bathroom, silently muttering curses about needing to pee the whole way.

When she came out of the bathroom, Megan was still sound asleep, and so Beckett took that as a good sign and went into the doctor's kitchen to make coffee. Just as Kate was pushing the button to get the magical liquid brewing, her phone rang, and she cursed it for being so damned loud. "Beckett" she said in hoarse whisper; listening to Ryan and Esposito on the other line. "Gates found the cyanide…and it's a place back here in New York. So grab your partner and get your ass back here soon as you can, because Captain Grouchy Gates will be riding our ass, and we'll have to shoot you."

Just as Beckett pushed the 'end' button on her phone to end the call, she felt a warm pair of hands wrap around her waist and a woman whispering in her ear. "I woke up and smelled the coffee…and I noticed you were out of bed, so I had to creep in here and find you…" Megan was now nibbling Kate's ear, and moving her hands all over.

Beckett turned around to face her lover, but had an almost melancholy look on her face. Megan suddenly frowned because she knew what was going on.

"You have to go back, don't you?" Megan asked, her hands dropping down to Beckett's waist. Beckett nodded, and then thought of a naughty, yet genius idea. "The captain wants us back as soon as possible…" she smiled at Megan suddenly. "However, I could say we stopped by the precinct to gather the last of the evidence…And you know how Castle likes to take his time going anywhere…" Megan knew where Beckett was leading, both literally and figuratively, because Megan was being led back into the bedroom for one last goodbye for the road.

Half an hour later, the two women were saying their goodbyes, Beckett with her bag and coffee in one hand, and Megan latched onto the other. "I really hate to see you go" Megan said in between lingering kisses. Beckett smiled one last time and said, "Well I'm told your boss has a thing for my partner Mr. Castle. Maybe we could double sometime?" Beckett gave Megan one last lingering passionate kiss before jumping into her cab and heading towards Castle's hotel.

When she arrived to the room, the door opened before Beckett had the chance to knock. Beckett stepped out of the way of a tall and thin blonde woman, with a disheveled dress shirt and slacks, and her high heels in her hand. "Dr. Murphy?" Beckett asked, realizing who it was leaving Castle's room. Beckett didn't know whether to be enraged at Castle, or happy that he had some fun-loving on this trip too. Dr. Murphy turned around in a flurry, startled at being recognized. "Oh, detective Beckett…"she tripped over her words while putting her shoes on. "I…uh…I can explain…I was just over last night to uh…discuss the um, the case and well…you weren't there and uh…Castle offered me pizza and um…" Beckett put a hand up and stopped her then and there. "Not to worry Dr. Murphy, I was out late myself. I'm just glad that Castle got to have as much fun as I did. And, I am sure I will here all about what happened on the way back to New York." Beckett started to go into the room, and Dr. Murphy stopped for a moment. "You're going back to New York? Today? I was…" Beckett looked at Kate. "I was hoping to have dinner with your…partner-friend tonight." Beckett shrugged her shoulders, and smiled. "I'll give you a call after this case is over. Maybe Castle and I can come back down for a double-date. Until then, we'll have to play this thing by ear Dr. Murphy." Kate nodded at Beckett and finished putting her shoes on. Beckett then walked into Castle's hotel room and closed the door.

Meanwhile… (telephone conversation between Drs. Hunt and Murphy)

"Dr. Hunt, was Detective Kate Beckett with you last night?"

"Yes she was Dr. Murphy…why do you ask?"

"No particular reason…"

…

…

…

"Dr. Murphy?"

"Oh…yes Dr. Hunt?"

"Did she mention anything about a double-date?"

Dr. Murphy smiled… "She certainly did. And as soon as this case is closed, we are going to New York."

Megan jumped for joy and did a happy dance, which nearly knocked over her coffee.

Kate Murphy smiled to herself as she walked into the ME office building.

On their way back to New York…

So then, we got drunk and we…"

Back in New York…

"Ok Espo, you and Ryan cover the back of the building, these three officers and I will cover the inside. Ok go!" Captain Gates was too impatient to wait for Castle and Beckett to get back in town to raid the building, so she began the operation herself.

Esposito to Beckett as she walks back into the precinct…

"Next time…me and Ryan are going to Philly. You two have too much fun."

**So how about some reviewing, and tell me how you like it? Look for another story posted soon…maybe a double date?**


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